Adventist Theological-Missiology: Contextualization in ... · 4 The council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 is a g od an example. 5 Ellen G. White, in the b ok Th Desire f Ages, expan ds

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 27/1-2 (2016): 175-208.Article copyright © 2016 by Wagner Kuhn.

Adventist Theological-Missiology:Contextualization in Mission and Ministry

Wagner KuhnSeventh-day Adventist Theological SeminaryAndrews University

The Issue of Methodology:Theology and Mission in Dialogue

Several methodological presuppositions influence the disciplines oftheology and mission, affecting not only those who are directly involved inthem, but also the product of their work.1 Some scholars and practitionersadvance their work unaware that they are being influenced by differentmethodologies and continue their theological and missiological endeavorswithout reflecting or evaluating such presuppositions, which often resultsin undesired outcomes for both the discipline of theology and the practiceof mission.

Concerning the overall involvement and activities of the church, onefinds that on the one side of the spectrum there is theology, and on the otherside there is mission practices. And then there are methodologies that helpto carry the Adventist message from one place to another, one person to theother, from one culture to the other. Much has been done in theologicalreflection and also in mission practice, but less has been done in regards tothe methods in the middle, methods that are connected directly with thebeliever as well as institutions which help to carry the gospel to the wholeworld.2 Both disciplines could profit if there would be more discussion and

1 See Carmelo L. Martines, “Teologia y Contextualizacion.” In Mision yContextualizacion: Llevar el Mensaje Biblico a un Mundo Multicultural. Gerald A.Klingbeil, editor. Entre Rios, Argentina: Editorial Universidad Adventista del Plata (2005):233-234.

2 There have been a good number of articles written in regards to methods in biblicalinterpretation. They can be accessed from the Biblical Research Institute(https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org); see for example Richard M. Davidson,

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reflection about the way theology and mission are practiced. It isdisadvantageous when theology and mission work alone in their peculiarsides apart from each other.

In the Bible, the message and mission given by God comes from hisrevelation and initiative to seek and save (Gen. 3: 9, 15, 21). This revelation(message) gives meaning, content and direction to both the study oftheology and the practice of mission. Theology and mission are alwayspresent in the salvation process initiated by God. He takes the initiative andreveals himself, providing a message (theology) and a mission to his people.His message and mission are based on the revelation of his character and hisinitiative to save (Missio Dei).3 The example of Moses illustrates this case;God speaks to Moses from the burning bush and from this experience andrevelation that takes place by divine initiative, Moses grows inunderstanding God’s will and plans for his people. The message Mosesreceives from God provides the content and method for his mission.

The vision and encounter that Paul has with Christ provides perhapsone of the best examples of the unity of theology and mission and howthese two disciplines (facets of God’s revelation) walk hand in hand. In theknowledge of God (theology) and the preaching of the gospel (mission), theknowledge and salvation of God is transmitted, is given to the Gentiles.Paul writes and transmits theology in mission, and this mission (Acts 9) isalso the factor that drives Paul’s theology. In preaching—he writes; and inwriting—he preaches! It is theology and mission walking hand in hand.

Peter also receives a vision (Acts 10), wherewith God reveals his plansfor the salvation of the Gentiles, an all-encompassing mission to him andto the early church. His reality and worldviews are shaken and changed.

“Interpreting Scripture According to the Scriptures: Toward an Understanding of Seventh-day Adventist Hermeneutics” (https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/sites/default/files/pdf/ interp%20scripture%20davidson.pdf). An important article is the official statement on“Methods of Bible Study—Bible Study: Presuppositions, Principles, and Methods.” Thisstatement was approved and voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day AdventistsExecutive Committee at the Annual Council Session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 12,1986 (http://www.adventist.org/information/official-statements/documents/article/go/0/methods-of-bible-study/en/service/).

3 Samuel F. Rowen, paraphrasing Abraham Kuyper says that “the knowledge gainedin theology, a knowledge of God, is obtained because the object of study is active in makinghimself known. God actively communicates this knowledge in creation and the redemptiverevelation in Scriptures.” Rowen, citing Elias Medeiros dos Santos, a Brazilian missiologistcomments that “there is a ‘missiological movement’ in God in which He is making himselfknown. God is on a mission and the mission is to make his glory known throughout all theearth. The only knowledge of God we have is the knowledge of a God who is on a mission”(1996:97).

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This revelation of God’s mission and His plan of salvation that includespeople of all races, languages and nations, led the apostles to expand theirtheology and to contextualize their mission methods. The vision brokebarriers, prejudices, traditions, and human rules, and provided a broaderunderstanding of God (theology) and his mission, and also determined themission of the church.4

In Christ, theology and mission are joined together perfectly. In him(Isaiah 7:14), we receive the knowledge and mission of a God who is notonly eternal and divine, but also a loving and personal God (John 1:1, 14).5

In the incarnated Christ—the gospel and good news of God, we have theexample, the method, and the principle par excellence of God’s mission andthe mission of his disciples and the church.

This pattern of integrating theology and mission is clearly provided tous in the Bible. Thus mission is not the mother of theology6 as someadvocate, nor it is more important. Theology likewise, is not superior ormore important than mission. The entire Bible gives us a balancedunderstanding of theology and mission and how they are joined together.This becomes evident in the life and ministry of Christ, as God uniteshimself with man to save the fallen human race. When theologians ormissiologists “sit in ivory towers (meaning, in their offices) andunderstand/do theology without engaging in a practical missional way, thenthat theology is impractical,”7 inappropriate and unrealistic, as it does notintegrate life as it is lived out in all its dimensions. When missionpractitioners do not engage in serious Bible study and in dialogue withtheologians and the discipline of theology, their work is without foundationand direction.

Furthermore, the purpose of theology and mission is to demonstrate inword and deed, in theory and in practice, the everlasting gospel (Rev. 14).It is to aim at the cross of Calvary, declaring and presenting with power andeffectiveness the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn.

4 The council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 is a good an example.5 Ellen G. White, in the book The Desire of Ages, expands this understanding: “It was

to manifest this glory that He came to our world. To this sin-darkened earth He came toreveal the light of God’s love,–to be ‘God with us’. . . . By coming to dwell with us, Jesuswas to reveal God both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God,–God’s thoughtmade audible” (1898: 15).

6 In his book Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, David J.Bosch says that contemporary New Testament scholars claim that the systematic theologianMartin Kahler said at the beginning of last century (1907), that “mission is the mother oftheology” (Orbis, 1991: 16, 489).

7 Petras Bahadur. E-mail message. October 08, 2014.

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1:29). Paul demonstrates this theology and this mission by getting as closeas possible to people in order to save them for Christ. He says: “I havebecome all things to all men so that by all possible means I might savesome” (1 Cor. 9:22).

This is the methodology of Paul, who by word and deed integrates intohis ministry both the knowledge and the preaching of the gospel. He says,“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Hetakes the example of Christ and contextualizes it in his own apostolic life.Paul’s theology and mission relate to each other not just as theory andpractice, in the sense that his mission flows from his theology, but rather inthe sense that his theology is mission oriented, and his mission is fullyrelated to his identity, vocation and calling. Both his theology and missionare birthed in God’s revelation, and as such God’s revelation propels Paul’smission and drives his theology. Paul is a theologian, but above all he is anapostle, a servant, a missionary.8

Brief Personal Mission Background When my wife and I lived and worked in Central Asia, during the

second term of our missionary assignment9 we noticed that parents,especially mothers, did not engage in family worship in their homes.Actually, we realized that Bible teaching and home worship that engagedbabies and young children was almost non-existent, especially among thosewho had joined the church just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. TheSabbath School program in one of the only churches of the country did notprioritize children, mostly because parents had a strong belief that veryyoung children could not understand or grasp anything taught to them,

8 See David Bosch, Transforming Mission, 1991: 492-496, and 123-124. In the articleentitled, “Doing Theology in Mission,” Jon Dybdahl “suggested that Paul was a missionarybefore he was a theologian.” In Faith Development in Context: Presenting Christ in CreativeWays. Bruce L. Bauer, ed. Berrien Springs, MI: Department of World Mission (2005): 1; seealso Peter M. van Bemmelen, “Reponse to Jon Dibdahl’s Paper,” ibid., 29.

9 During our first mission assignment we lived and worked in a very remote place inthe formed Soviet Union, where we were the only Christians or Seventh-day Adventists inthe region. There we had to seriously think about issues of how to contextualize our lives,methods, and approaches in order to properly communicate the Adventist message and bewitnesses for the gospel to people of a Muslim background. The third part of my doctoraldissertation contains a case study that examines this experience. See Wagner Kuhn, “Towarda Holistic Approach to Relief, Development, and Christian Witness: with Special Referenceto ADRA’s Mission to Naxcivan, 1993-2003.” PhD Dissertation, (Fuller TheologicalSeminary, Pasadena, CA).

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especially spiritual or religious subjects. It was very difficult to sit at churchSabbath after Sabbath without being able to do much.

We talked about this issue several times with church officers, and afterseveral attempts from my wife to offer help in this area, a small room in thebasement of the church building was given, so she could start a SabbathSchool for very young children. She made intentional efforts to engage withmothers and to have their support, but little was achieved. Mothers did notbelieve young children could be taught and understand biblical teachingseven through stories. It was very challenging, to say the least. Finally abreakthrough happened when my wife invited a couple of very youngmothers to visit our home. During this one visit, many changes took place,as these young mothers watched how my wife conducted a home worshipwith our two daughters (4 years, and 6 months old) and how engaged andattentive the kids were, including even our 6 months old baby.

My wife intentionally tried to adapt and contextualize the message ofthe Bible not only to our kids, but also to these young mothers who werenot of a Christian10 background. We had to contextualize the methods so theteaching of the message and the discipling of these mothers and theirchildren would be appropriate and effective.11 We also had to understandthem, their culture, and their way of thinking and to adapt and contextualizeour lives accordingly. Also, to be understood by them, as we shared thegospel, was of paramount importance, especially if we wanted them tobelieve and practice the biblical message as espoused by the Seventh-dayAdventist Church.12

The Challenge of Foreign MissionsAppropriate methods and specific skills are needed as the church shares

the gospel cross-culturally, especially to non-Christians. The Christian

10 Most of the new believers were from a Muslim (and secular) background. 11 My wife engaged in intentionally helping these young mothers by letting them

observe her style, methods, and content as she taught our own children during homeworships, and by also teaching and discipling them and their children during the SabbathSchool time. She had to contextualize the message and methods, along with resources aswell in order to be effective and relevant in the context she was ministering. Not only wasshe a foreigner, she did not know their background, their language, customs, and way ofthinking. We had to contextualize our lives as well as the worship form and style in orderfor them to be able to understand and participate in the learning and sharing of the gospel.

12 I was particularly blessed to have completed an MA in Missions at the SDATheological Seminary (Andrews University) before going to serve and minister as a cross-cultural missionary in a post-soviet atheist and secular context and in a country whosereligion was traditionally Muslim.

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mission enterprise has had its share of failures and challenges as it tried toadvance the gospel to the world. The Adventist Church has gainedsignificant growth in regions where Christianity is widespread, but hasfaced major challenges in preaching the gospel and making converts in leastevangelized areas of the world, like the 10/40 window, especially amongmajor world religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. It has alsofaced enormous difficulty to evangelize in those places where secularismand post-modernism are predominant among the majority of the population.

The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is carried forward inthe context of the great controversy and the soon coming of Jesus. Underthe guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, members from all partsof the world accomplish the church’s mission13 through the following fourmain methods: preaching, teaching, healing, and discipling.14 Theseoverarching methodologies are further subdivided into a multiplicity ofmethods and practices to effectively “translate” the gospel message to all inboth theory and practice, and word and deed.

This translation or communication of the biblical message involves allmembers and entails intentional efforts by all departments operated by thechurch. Institutions have also played an important role in carrying forwardGod’s mission, specifically publishing houses, clinics and hospitals, andschools and universities. Educational institutions have been established to

13 “The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to make disciples of all people,communicating the everlasting gospel in the context of the three angels’ messages ofRevelation 14:6-12, leading them to accept Jesus as personal Savior and unite with Hisremnant Church, discipling them to serve Him as Lord and preparing them for His soonreturn” (Mission Statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. GC Official Statements;October 13, 2009).

14 “Preaching: Accepting Christ’s commission (Matthew 28:18-20), we proclaim to allthe world, in these last days, the everlasting gospel of God’s love, most fully revealed in HisSon's life, ministry, atoning death, resurrection and high priestly ministry. Recognizing theBible to be God’s infallible revelation of His will, we present its full message, including thesecond advent of Christ and the continuing authority of His Ten Commandment law withits reminder of the Seventh-day Sabbath. Teaching: Acknowledging that development ofmind and character is essential to God’s redemptive plan, we promote the growth of amature understanding of and relationship to God, His Word and the created universe.Healing: Affirming the Biblical principles of the well-being of the whole person, we makethe preservation of health and healing of the sick a priority and through our ministry to thepoor and oppressed, cooperate with the Creator in His compassionate work of restoration.Discipling: Affirming the continued spiritual growth and development of all members, wenurture the newly converted, instruct them in righteous living, train them for effectivewitness and encourage their responsive obedience to God’s will” (Mission Statement of theSeventh-day Adventist Church. GC Official Statements; October 13, 2009).

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provided the necessary education for those engaged in the challenging taskof evangelizing the world. Battle Creek College, Loma Linda, Avondale,and many others, were founded to provide training and preparation formissionaries as they worked in their homeland and overseas.

About the middle of the twentieth century, preparation for missionservice included a call and commitment to God, thorough Bible knowledge,and understanding of languages. As the task of witnessing and workingcross-culturally became more complex and challenging, it was increasinglyevident that missionaries needed specific training and orientation beforegoing overseas to live and work.15

Cross-cultural Training and Mission ResourcesMore specialized missionary training and preparation for cross-cultural

work was made available through the official establishment of theDepartment of World Mission (DWM) during the 1965-1966 school year.This new department became part of the SDA Theological Seminary locatedat Andrews University and was given the primary responsibility ofconducting mission institutes for the specific purpose of training overseasmissionaries. The DWM was funded mostly by the General Conference andcontinued to train missionaries along with the teaching of mission classesto seminary students until 1981. At this time the training of missionarieswas assigned to the Institute of World Mission (IWM), a more separateentity tasked and focused entirely on the preparation of missionaries. TheDWM continued its work but now assuming a more specific responsibilityof mission research and academic teaching within the Seminary functions.16

For many years now IWM has worked in close cooperation with DWM andhas produced an excellent curriculum and also several resources for missioneducation and training and thus has contributed significantly to thediscipline of missiology. Some of these mission resources are MissionPossible: The Challenge of Mission Today, by Gottfried Oosterwal (1972);Student Orientation Manual, by Madeline Johnston and Nancy Vyhmeister(1984); Missions: A Two Way Street, by Jon Dybdahl (1986), Re-VisioningAdventist Mission in Europe, edited by Erich Baumgartner (1998); TheCommunity of Faith: The Seventh-day Adventist Church in theContemporary World, by Russell L. Staples (1999); Adventist Mission

15 See Pat Gustin. “Institute of World Mission: Forty-five Years and Counting.” JAMS,Vol. 7, No. 1:3 (2011).

16 See Staples as cited in Gustin, 4.

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Facing the 21st Century, edited by Jon Dybdahl (1999); and Passport toMission (1995, 1999, 2009), by IWM faculty.17

Passport to Mission, the IWM textbook, published initially in 1995, isin its 3rd edition (Cheryl Doss, ed. 2009) now, and has been published inEnglish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Korean, with translation inFrench. It has greatly helped in the cross-cultural training and preparationof short-term volunteers and long-term career missionaries and it hasbecome an integral part of the curriculum of the Institute now for about 20years.

The book reinforces the integrated pedagogical content of the IWMcurriculum, which aims at effective cross-cultural mission practice andexperience. The content is comprised of five main areas, and its purpose isthat missionaries will be able to share the Adventist biblical message bycontinuing to Grow Spiritually, Think Biblically, Reason Missiologically,Live Holistically, and Serve Incarnationally. Hundreds, if not thousands, ofstudents, missionaries, and other church workers have benefitted from thiscurriculum, becoming more aware and better equipped to face the manychallenges of living and working in multi-cultural and religious contexts.

For nearly five decades now, the faculty of the DWM and the IWM hasprovided a steady and significant contribution to Adventist missiologythrough the publication of several books and hundreds of articles in avariety of journals and books. In 2005, the first issue of the Journal ofAdventist Mission Studies was published. This journal is a timely and muchneeded academic and professional mission publication. Since then, manyrelevant articles written by different authors of various backgrounds andmission expertise have been published. From 2005 to 2014, the DWM hasalso published 16 books dealing with a variety of missiological issues andchallenges that have confronted the Adventist church around the world.18

17 See Gustin, 15.18 A Man with a Vision. Mission: A Festschrift Honoring Russell L. Staples. Rudi Maier,

ed. (2005); Faith Development in Context: Presenting Christ in Creative Ways. Bruce L.Bauer, ed. (2006); Adventist Responses to Cross-cultural Mission. Global Mission IssuesCommittee Papers. Vol. 1. Bruce L. Bauer, ed. (2006); Adventist Responses to Cross-cultural Mission. Global Mission Issues Committee Papers,Vol. II. Bruce L. Bauer, ed.(2007); Working with the Poor: Selected Passages from Ellen G. White on SocialResponsibility. Rudi Maier, ed. (2007); Comfort My People: Towards a Growing Adventist-Jewish Friendship. Richard Elofer, ed. (2009); Encountering God in Life and Mission: AFestschrift Honoring Jon L. Dybdahl. Rudi Maier, ed. (2010); Diversity: Challenges andOpportunities. Second Adventist Mission in Africa Conference. Bruce L. Bauer, ed. (2010);A Man of Passionate Reflection: A Festschrift Honoring Jerald Whitehouse. Bruce L. Bauer,ed. (2011); Africa—Adventist Mission in Africa: Challenges and Prospects. First Adventist

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Adventist Mission Methods and ContextualizationAndrew F. Walls, in his award-winning book, The Missionary

Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith wrote:“Politics is the art of the possible; translation is the art of the impossible.”19

The impossibility of translating the Word of God and the good news of thegospel into human reality and language becomes possible in Christ andthrough the Holy Spirit. And mysteriously, this is exactly what God inChrist has done, as the Word becomes flesh and incarnates into humanity.

In a way, the incarnation of Jesus was the method God used to“translate,” to “contextualize,” salvation into human reality, and to a dyingworld. He came close to his people, identifying himself with those hewanted to save. He became a servant in order to minister and serve to thosehe came to save, thus setting an example to his followers. In his life andministry we find the best example and the most effective methods to guideour theological reflections and mission practice. It has been written:“Christ’s methods alone will give true success in reaching the people. TheSavior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed Hissympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence.Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”20

In the Old Testament times we see the incarnation as a principle forcontextualization exemplified in each occasion God came close to hispeople to be with them, helping and providing for them. The sanctuary isa very clear example of the incarnation prior of Jesus coming in humanform. There, God came down and dwelt with his people. The sanctuary andits service was the method God used to contextualize his very presenceamong his people, to translate the process of redemption to humanity.

Mission in Africa Conference. Gorden Doss, ed. (2011); The Book and the Student:Theological Education as Mission: A Festschrift honoring José Carlos Ramos. WagnerKuhn, ed. (2012); Toward a Bright Future: Economic Self-Reliance in Africa. ThirdAdventist Mission in Africa Conference. Bruce L. Bauer, ed. (2013); RevisitingPostmodernism: An Old Debate on a New Era. Bruce L. Bauer and Kleber O. Goncanves,eds. (2013); Redemption and Transformation Through Relief and Development: Biblical,Historical, and Contemporary Perspectives of God’s Holistic Gospel. Wagner Kuhn (2013);Shame and Honor: Presenting Biblical Themes in Shame and Honor Contexts. Bruce L.Bauer, ed. (2014); Church and Society: Missiological Challenges for the Seventh-dayAdventist Church. Rudi Maier, ed. (2015 forthcoming); and Mission Models of the Churchin Urban Contexts. Bruce L. Bauer and Kelvin Onongha, eds. (2015 forthcoming).

19 Andrew F. Walls, The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in theTransmission of Faith (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1996), 26.

20 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (1905), 143.

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Christ exemplified and commended four major mission methods(preaching, teaching, healing, and discipling21), which have been followedby the church and can be sub-divided into categories. These categoriesdescribe more specific ministries such as personal Bible studies (one-on-one), public evangelism, publishing work and literature evangelism, healthreform, medical missionary work, radio, TV, and media evangelism,mission through educational institutions, small groups, integratedevangelism, community services and ADRA, to name a few.

These various methods have worked well in many places, especiallywhere most of the population has been predominantly Christian, as in theterritories of the North, Inter and South American Divisions, for example,but have not yielded significant results in areas where Christians are a smallminority or non-existent. As such, there will always be the need to try newapproaches of evangelism and to develop new missionary methods thatwork in these more challenging contexts, especially where most people arenon-Christians.

The more recent method called contextualization22 is a careful approachto cross-cultural evangelism and has received a lot of attention not only inNorth America. Other regions of the world started to advance publicationson this method or approach for engaging in transcultural mission. In 2005,a pertinent book was published in Argentina: Mision y Contextualizacion:Llevar el Mensaje Biblico a un Mundo Multicultural. From aninterdisciplinary perspective, the book explored the interrelations of missionand contextualization within the context of a multicultural world, both atlocal and regional levels, as well as in global contexts.23 It is a moreacademic and theoretical book as a good number of its articles are dealingwith historical, exegetical, and theological studies.

In Asia, the Mission and Society Research Institute of SahmyookUniversity has started the Asia-Africa Journal of Mission & Ministry in2009, and from its beginning it has published several articles dealing withthe subject of contextualization. In the same year, an important symposium

21 See Matthew 28:18-20. Discipling has not been effectively done through our churchsystem. For many decades our church has emphasized the preaching, teaching, and healingaspects only.

22 See the issue “Contextualization: Presenting the Gospel in Culturally RelevantTerms. Journal of Adventist Mission Studies.” Vol. 1, No. 2 (2005).

23 See Mision y Contextualizacion: Llevar el Mensaje Biblico a un Mundo Multicultural(Mission and Contextualization: Bringing the Biblical Message to a Multicultural World). Gerald A. Klingbeil, editor. Entre Rios, Argentina: Editorial Universidad Adventista delPlata (2005): xiii-xiv.

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took place in Brazil, which later resulted in the publication of a bookdealing with various theological and methodological aspects of mission(Teologia e Metodologia da Missao. 2011). The work is theological andbiblical, but deals also with the many practical realities of ministry, asseveral of the articles presented focus on more practical methods of missionand evangelism. The consensus and commitment declaration # 5 of thesymposium (19 July 2009) states: “We reaffirm the necessity ofcontextualization, that is, to adapt the methods to the different cultures,without altering the content of the message.”24

The fact that the subject of contextualization has received aconsiderable amount of attention in several conferences and publicationsaround the world attest to the reality that without proper and criticalcontextualization of the gospel message, people will not be able to properlyunderstand what is been communicated to them.

So, what methodologies must Seventh-day Adventists use as theyengage in preaching the gospel and witnessing cross-culturally? How hasthe church relate to some of these methodologies and how they haveinfluenced our mission thinking and practice? Moreover, what has been theengagement and contribution of both the Institute of World Mission and theDepartment of World Mission in regards to these issues? What have beenthe strategies the church has employed in order to reach the adherents of thegreat world religions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, andAnimism)? And to what degree these methods have worked or not?

The Discipline of Missiology and ContextualizationThere have been various methods that Christians in general have used

to preach the gospel in order to advance the kingdom of God throughouthistory. For over 50 years now some of these methods or strategies havereceived a lot of attention amongst Evangelicals and other Christians.Among these, for example, are the church growth movement, thehomogeneous unit principle, people groups and people group movements,church planting, contextualization, small groups, insider movements,missional church, to name a few.

Contextualization in particular has been a topic of discussion and studyby some Adventist church leaders, missiologists, and theologians, for about

24 Teologia e Metodologia da Missao. VIII Simposio Biblico-Teologico Sul-Americano.Cachoeira, BA, Brasil: CePLiB–Seminario Adventista Latino-Americano de Teologia(2011): 686.

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two decades now.25 However, outside of the Adventist church, and in thecontext of the discipline of missiology, the discussion has started muchearlier.26

Let’s look at four main missiological journals: Evangelical MissionsQuarterly (EMQ), Missiology, International Bulletin of MissionaryResearch (IBMR), and International Journal of Frontier Missiology (IJFM).The first two articles on contextualization appeared in these journals in the1960s, another 11 in the 1970s, and about a dozen in the 1980s. In the1990s there was a major increase and a total of 47 articles were publishedon these journals. The years 2001 to 2010 saw yet another increase and 58more articles focused on the subject of contextualization were published. 27

As one can observe, this trend shows how much attention this contextualapproach to mission has received and continues to receive.28

With the establishment of the Global Mission Strategy in 1990, and thesubsequent creation and/or permission for more contextualized ministriesto be developed through the Global Mission Religious Study Centers, theneed for reflection and discussion about these new approaches to missionbecame evident. It is important to note that these more contextualizedministries came into existence not because of the articles oncontextualization, but because the church intentionally tried “to move fromreaching mainly Christian populations to reaching non-Christian” peoples.29

The missiological reflections in books and articles came later, and were an

25 See specifically Faith Development in Context: Presenting Christ in Creative Ways(2005); Adventist Responses to Cross-cultural Mission. Global Mission Issues CommitteePapers from 1998 to 2005, published in Vol. 1. (2006) and Vol. II (2007); Journal ofAdventist Mission Studies, Vol. 1, no. 2 (2005); and many other articles printed in theJournal of Adventist Mission Studies and other venues as well.

26 See The Word Among Us: Contextualizing Theology for Mission Today. Dean S.Gilliland, ed. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers (2002). Previously published byWord Publishing (1989).

27 Kenneth Nehrbass, “The Half-life of Missiological Facts.” Missiology: AnInternational Review, Vol. 42, No. 3, July (2014): 286.

28 As examples see the articles of Volker Kuster, “Intercultural Theology Is a Must.”IBMR, Vol. 38, No. 4. October 2014: 171-176; Richard Hibbert and Evelyn Hibbert,“Contextualizing Sin for Cross-Cultural Evangelism.” Missiology, Vol. 42, No. 3. July 2014:309-321; and Craig Ott, “The Power of Biblical Metaphors for the ContextualizedCommunication of the Gospel.” Missiology, Vol. 42, No. 4. October 2014: 357-374.

29 Gary Krause, as cited by Rick McEdward, “Adventist Mission Theology: Developinga Biblical Foundation.” JAMS, Vol. 7, No. 1 (2011): 71.

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attempt to understand and provide guidance to what was happening inpractice in the mission field.30

These reflections have been presented in form of articles at the GlobalMission Issues Committee Meetings of the General Conference, starting in1998. The faculty of IWM and DWM, church leaders, theologians, andmission practitioners have been heavily involved in tackling variousmission issues and in writing papers to be presented at these meetings. Thedirectors of the Global Mission Study Centers31 have also been part of thesedialogues and active participants of these meetings. Many of the subjectsand discussions on various strategies and methods on mission that includedcontextualization and Faith Development in Context and that were dealtwith in these meetings were latter published in specific books as well as inthe Journal of Adventist Mission Studies. These articles tried to respond toa variety of missiological issues and challenges that confronted theAdventist church around the world.

Contextualization and Faith Development in Context Since 1998, members of the Global Mission Issues Committee have

studied and discussed the issue of contextualization from a variety ofperspectives, which has also included the perspective of the FaithDevelopment in Context (FDIC) approach.

Although the FDIC approach was developed by the leaders of theCenter for Adventist Muslim Relations (GC-AMR), Jerald Whitehouse isthe one to be credited as the principal contributor to this contextualapproach to reaching Muslims. Influential mentors to Whitehouse were Drs.Robert Darnell and Kenneth Oster. Darnell worked as field secretary of theMiddle Eastern Division in the 1960s and also as the president of theMiddle East Union in the 1970s. Oster worked as director of the TEAM

30 This means that the Global Mission initiative was not a result of missiologicalreflection but rather a reaction to the statistical fact that the world’s unreached was a hugenumber. There are still major challenges in the Global Mission initiative along with a greatneed for more missiological and theological reflection.

31 The Global Mission Study Centers of the General Conference currently are thefollowing: Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations, World Jewish-AdventistFriendship Center, Center for East Asian Religions (focus on reaching Buddhists), Centerfor Secular and Post-Modern Studies, Center for South Asian Religions (focused on reachingHindus), and the more recently added Global Mission Urban Center (2013).

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(Trust for Evangelism Among Muslims) in the Middle East Union in the1970s.32

The FDIC approach has been the focus of a lot of attention in variousvenues and meetings. It has been criticized and supported by missionpractitioners, church leaders, missiologists, and theologians alike. TheFDIC is an approach that promotes,

a system in which new Adventist believers would not be extracted fromtheir culture and would be able to remain within their Muslim context.Rather than promoting a rejection of the new believer’s background, theFaith Development in Context (FDIC) approach sought to critically siftthat culture and religious background through the biblical message. . . .This type of ministry begins where people are in their context, leadspeople to believe in Scriptures as the basis for faith and religious life, andencourages the believers to accept Jesus (Isa) as Lord and Savior as theylive out their life of faith within the Islamic context.33

In 2001, Wolfgang Lepke concluded a PhD dissertation in the Schoolof Education at Andrews University, entitled, “An Evaluation of aContextual Witnessing Project within a Resistant People Group.” 34 Thisresearch was written in order to assess the FDIC mission experiment that

32 See Peter Roennfeldt, “Faith Developmen in Context: an Overview.” In FaithDevelopment in Context (2005): 31-48; also, Wolfgang Lepke, “The Story of JeraldWhitehouse.” In A Man of Passionate Reflection (2011): 19-36.

33 Rick McEdward, “ A Brief Overview of Adventist Witness Among Muslims.” In AMan of Passionate Reflection (2011): 246.

34 The research indicated that Lepke “observed a movement, organizationally separatefrom the local Adventist church structure. While its beliefs resemble the SDA doctrines, thebelievers are culturally still Muslim. The identity of the believers remains connected toIslam, which enables them not to be viewed upon by the Muslims majority as traitors. Thisidentity makes it possible for them to stay in their context and witness. Evidence of theeffectiveness of this approach is the rapid growth of the movement, having reached nearly5,000 baptized believers within the eleven years of the movement’s existence (in 2001). Aneffective witness in this movement must be established within the community as trustworthyand credible. The effective witness shares first from the Qur’ran and later leads the inquirerto the Bible and finally to all of its truths, including the identity of Jesus as Protector againstevil forces, Mediator, Lord and Savior. …Considering all the evidence found, this movementseems to be a promising approach to sharing the gospel with Muslims, notwithstandingchallenges in the area of finances, leadership development, and persecution. This ministryis recommended as a model for future Muslim evangelism with adaptation to particularcontexts. Wolfgang Lepke, “An Evaluation of a Contextual Witnessing Project within aResistant People Group.” Unpublished Dissertation. Berrien Springs, MI: AndrewsUniversity, 2001. In “Results” and “Conclusions,” from the “Abstract of Graduate StudentResearch.”

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had been carried out in an Asian country (Islamex35), under the leadershipof Whitehouse, director of GC-AMR. Whitehouse himself had lived inIslamex from 1988 to 1992, and in November 1989 requested that the FarEastern Division start a new and specific ministry among Muslims. Aboutten years later, Lepke went to Islamex to evaluate this mission experiment,which he called the “R-Movement” and drew a favorable conclusion aboutit, thus providing documented support for the FDIC approach.

From its establishment in 1995, and under the leadership of Whitehouse(until 2009), “the focus of the GC-AMR has been on experimentation,developing new methods [mostly FDIC), and starting new field initiatives.”GC-AMR has also sponsored several conferences (2000 in Toronto, 2003in Cyprus, and 2004 in Montenegro) to promote the FDIC approach, presentcase studies, discuss lessons learned, and also to work on guidelines forthese contextual ministries.36

As some critics of the FDIC approach started to voice concerns aboutthis ministry initiative, in 2003, the General Conference through the GlobalMission Issues Committee meetings prepared guidelines to be used, asappropriate, by church leaders, educators, and other church members whenproclaiming the gospel in non-Christian environments. These guidelinesentitled “Engaging in Global Mission” deal with five main topics: 1) Useof the Bible in Mission Vis-a-vis “Sacred Writings”; 2) TransitionalOrganizational Structures; 3) Fundamental Beliefs and Preparation forBaptism (Fundamental Beliefs and Non-Christians, and BaptismalGuidelines); 4) Forms of Worship; and 5) Contextualization andSyncretism.37

Accordingly, in this General Conference document, contextualizationhas been defined as;

The intentional and discriminating attempt to communicate the gospelmessage in a culturally meaningful way. Seventh-day Adventistcontextualization is motivated by the serious responsibility of fulfilling thegospel commission in a very diverse world. It is based on the authority ofthe Scripture and the guidance of the Spirit and aims at communicatingbiblical truth in a culturally-relevant way. In that task contextualization

35 A pseudonym for a real country.36 Roennfeldt, “Faith Developmen in Context” (2005): 35.37 “Engaging in Global Mission.” General Conference. http://www.adventist.org/en/

information/official-statements/guidelines/article/go/0/engaging-in-global-mission/(retrieved September 26, 2014).

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must be faithful to the Scripture and meaningful to the new host culture,remembering that all cultures are judged by the gospel.

Intentional contextualization of the way we communicate our faith andpractice is biblical, legitimate, and necessary. Without it the Church facesthe dangers of miscommunication and misunderstandings, loss of identity,and syncretism. Historically, adaptation has taken place around the worldas a crucial part of spreading the three angels’ messages to every kindred,nation, tribe, and people. This will continue to happen.38

Six years later, a follow-up policy document, entitled “Roadmap for

Mission,” was voted by the General Conference Executive Committee, atthe Annual Council Session in Silver Spring, Maryland on October 13,2009. This document builds on the “Engaging in Global Mission”guidelines, while at the same time trying to define and spell out morespecific theological and biblical understandings on how the Church mustconduct its mission. Here is a summary of the document:

-Rationale—God’s mission for this world motivates andinforms our mission.-The Mission—Seventh-day Adventist mission is centeredin God’s loving gift of His Son to be the Savior of the world. -Fulfilling the Mission—Our mission remains unchangedwherever we find ourselves in the world. …Fulfilling themission where non-Christian religions prevail often entailssignificant modifications in approaching the task. 1) The Example of the Apostles–The conditions Seventh-

day Adventists face in sharing the message of Jesus topeople of other religions largely parallel those that theapostles encountered.

2) Writings of Other Religions–Paul made references tonon-biblical writings in his speech in Athens and hisletters (Acts 17:38; 1 Cor 15:33; Titus 1:12), but hegave priority to the Scriptures (OT) in hisproclamation and instruction to the new Christiancommunities (Acts 13:13-47; 2 Tim 3: 16, 17; 4:2).

3) Contextualization–Jesus, as our model, was the perfect

38 Ibid. “Engaging in Global Mission.”

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example of love in His relationships with others. 4) Openness and Identity–Paul sought to be open and

honest in his presentation of the gospel (2 Cor 4:2). 5) Transitional Groups–In some situations, Seventh-day

Adventist mission may include the formation oftransitional groups (usually termed Special AffinityGroups) that lead the people from a non-Christianreligion into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

6) Baptism and Church Membership–Candidates forbaptism shall confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord(Rom 10:9), accept the message and mission of theSeventh-day Adventist Church as summarized in theFundamental Beliefs, and understand that they arejoining a worldwide fellowship that is loyal to Godand awaits the second coming of Jesus.

7) Opportunities and Needs–Today, because ofimmigration and other factors, followers of worldreligions are found throughout the world. In this newcontext, leaders in all the world divisions shoulddevelop specific plans to bring the Seventh-dayAdventist message to these peoples.

8) Where Freedom is Restricted–Our mission takes us attimes to societies where religious freedom is severelyrestricted.

Conclusion—The mission to reach followers of worldreligions poses substantial challenges. . . . Throughwhatever approach we follow, its end result is to lead menand women into membership with those who confess JesusChrist as Savior and Lord, who embrace the FundamentalBeliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church,demonstrating the transforming power of the Holy Spirit,and looking forward to the soon coming of Christ. Theyshall identify themselves with the worldwide Seventh-dayAdventist Church in doctrine, life values, hope, andmission. 39

39 “Roadmap for Mission.” General Conference. http://www.adventist.org/information/official-statements/documents/article/go/0/roadmap-for-mission/ (retrieved September 26,2014).

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It is clear from the document that a form of ministry initiative that is notvisibly identified with the worldwide Church is questionable, and thuswould not normally be acceptable. Thus, any approach that is implementedin parallel and in an invisible or unrecognized structure and that is notsupervised or coordinated by the organized church does not fall within thesuggested ways of doing global mission.

The same year (2009) that the “Roadmap for Mission” policy documentwas voted by the Executive Committee of the General Conference, a studentfrom SDA Theological Seminary of Andrews University, Adefemi S.Adesina, defended his PhD dissertation (Department of World Mission),now with a much less favorable conclusion about the FDIC as compared tothat of Lepke in 2001. The research, entitled “Faith Development in Contextand Muslim Evangelization: a Biblical and Missiological Evaluation”(2009), was a follow-up evaluation of the R-Movement in Islamex.Adesina’s research demonstrates that,

While FDIC may have yielded results in terms of baptisms, the approachhas not been able to successfully establish a Bible-based community offaith among Muslims in Islamex. The members of FDIC have noknowledge that they are part of the worldwide fellowship of Seventh-dayAdventists, they have only a limited understanding and use of the Bible,and therefore have very distorted understanding of the Christian faith. . . However, in spite of its challenges, the approach could be used as adialogical approach and may provide the church with an opportunity topresent the gospel to Muslims, especially in gospel-resistant societies.Insider movements probably should be defined more as pre-evangelismrather than as a soul-winning approach.40

Sadly for some, and probably gain for others, the GC-Adventist MuslimRelations Center located in Cyprus was discontinued in November 2008.With the restructuring of the GCAMR Center, there was a subsequentdecrease in official and/or direct attention of the church to the FDICministry initiative in Islamex. Administrative practices, theology,ecclesiology, and mission somehow came into conflict; the understandingof theology, church, and how mission should be done, along with the actualpractice of this mission initiative (FDIC), and how it has been implementedneeds continuing evaluation.

40 Adefemi S. Adesina. “Faith Development in Context and Muslim Evangelization: aBiblical and Missiological Evaluation.” PhD Dissertation. Berrien Springs, MI: Departmentof World Mission, Andrews University (2009): from “Abstract.”

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In 2009, the GCAMR Center was restructured, and has continued tooperate under the leadership of Lester Merklin, but does not have a centrallocation anymore; its three leaders have operated out of Nairobi, Kenya, andAndrews University. Currently the GCAMR does not focus on FDICministries anymore. It functions more as a team of pastors-educators, whoare helping the church do its mission and ministry to Muslims as best andmost effectively as possible. The center has been involved in training andin creating resources for Muslim outreach. FDIC is no longer a contextualmethod emphasized by the Center, rather, various other contextualapproaches for reaching Muslims are considered as well. The Center’sdirectors and its associate directors (Lester Merklin, Petras Bahadur,Samuel Lumwe, and Oscar Osindo41) have also guided and supportedvarious church led ministry initiatives around the world whose purpose isto relate to Muslims in an effective way, present the message of salvationto them, lead them to Christ, and improve discipleship within theseministries.

Contextualization, Syncretism, and Dual Allegiance: The New Fundamental Belief

In this discussion of contextual approaches, worth noting has been thedevelopment of the new 28th Fundamental Belief. The initial discussion onthe topic of contextualization as it relates to syncretism and dual allegiance(in relation to the new fundamental belief) started in Africa in a session ofthe Mission Institute in 2001. At that session an African missionary broughtto their attention the issue that Africans could not talk about syncretism anddual allegiance as these major issues on African spirituality (animism) werenot on the Church Manual and nor were part of the church’s fundamentalbeliefs.

The faculty of IWM brought this issue to members of the GM IssuesCommittee, and in following years several articles about these topics werepresented and discussed by missiologists, church leaders, and theologians,and as a result the new fundamental belief was finally voted in the 2005General Conference session.

Recommendations on “Spiritual Life” and “Spiritual Powers” weremade by the members of the GM Issues Committee on April 9, 2002, andwere submitted to the General Conference ADCOM. Specifically on theissue of “Spiritual Powers” the recommendation reads:

41 Since 2013, Oscar Osindo serves as an associate director of the Institute of WorldMission (General Conference).

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Inasmuch as1. The 27 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day

Adventists were written in a Western context wherebelief in spirit is not a major issue, and

2. For the majority of the world, including traditionalreligionists, folk Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims, andNew Age believers, the issue of spiritual powers andancestors is an important day to day experience, and

3. The New Testament deals extensively with the issue ofangels, spirits, demons, and Jesus’ power over them;

It is recommended that the General ConferenceAdministrative Committee give study to the addition of astatement to the 27 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventists covering spiritual powers, which shouldinclude the following issues:1. The victory of Jesus and his authority over all evil

spiritual powers;2. The role of good and evil angels (spirits) in the life of

people;3. The responsibility of the Church to follow Jesus’

model of ministry in bringing deliverance and healingto afflicted people;

4. The role of the Holy Spirit and the Bible in givingguidance, victory, and indwelling power to believersin the day-to-day life.42

This recommendation was combined with the recommendation on“Spiritual Life” and approved by the 2005 General Conference session asthe new Fundamental Belief “Growing in Christ” and is listed now asFundamental Belief # 11.43

42 “2002 Recommendations and Approved Statements.” Global Mission IssuesCommittee. In Faith Development in Context (2005): 96.

43 “By His death on the cross Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. He whosubjugated the demonic spirits during His earthly ministry has broken their power and madecertain their ultimate doom. Jesus’ victory gives us victory over the evil forces that still seekto control us, as we walk with Him in peace, joy, and assurance of His love. Now the HolySpirit dwells within us and empowers us. Continually committed to Jesus as our Saviour andLord, we are set free from the burden of our past deeds. No longer do we live in thedarkness, fear of evil powers, ignorance, and meaninglessness of our former way of life. In

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A notable contribution that followed later builds on a similar discussionand topics that had previously led to the formulation and approval ofFundamental Belief # 11, as it relates to African contextual challenges. Thiswould be the book, The Church, Culture and Spirits: Adventism in Africa(2011), edited by Kwabena Donkor and published by the Biblical ResearchInstitute. It is a book that not only arises out of a need for a revised theologyon the subject of animism, syncretism, and dual allegiance, it also respondsto the challenge of spiritualistic manifestations in the African context andAdventist mission within a global environment. This book is an example ofmission driving theology and theology informing mission on how theologyand mission can work together to answer relevant questions and issues inthe field.

Cross-Cultural Training for Critical Contextualization44

Missionary training includes the important and often misunderstoodtopic of critical contextualization as it relates to cross-cultural evangelistand mission. A small portion of the curriculum of the Institute of WorldMission has developed a progression of themes tackling the subject ofcontextualization from various angles. Participants are asked severalquestions and they have to wrestle with these questions/issues individuallyand as a group. Examples of initial questions are: “What are the differentcultures missionaries have to deal with as they present the gospel?Historically, what are the various ways missionaries have dealt with theunfamiliar customs and beliefs they have encountered and why?”

Students are then asked to study the five different types ofcontextualization45 missionaries will have to deal with and decide which

this new freedom in Jesus, we are called to grow into the likeness of His character,communing with Him daily in prayer, feeding on His Word, meditating on it and on Hisprovidence, singing His praises, gathering together for worship, and participating in themission of the Church. As we give ourselves in loving service to those around us and inwitnessing to His salvation, His constant presence with us through the Spirit transformsevery moment and every task into a spiritual experience. (Ps 1:1, 2; 23:4; 77:11, 12; Col1:13, 14; 2:6, 14, 15; Luke 10:17-20; Eph 5:19, 20; 6:12-18; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:18;2 Cor. 3:17, 18; Phil 3:7-14; 1 Thess 5:16-18; Matt 20:25-28; John 20:21; Gal 5:22-25; Rom8:38, 39; 1 John 4:4; Heb 10:25).”

44 In this session I have adapted and used much of the content from the “MissionResources” worksheets and curriculum of the Mission Institute as they related to the topicof contextualization. Silver Spring, MD: Institute of World Mission. General Conference.January 2013.

45 Different types of contextualization: 1) The contextualized life (adapting the life ofthe missionary): missionary identification, incarnational life, learning culture, learninglanguage; 2) The contextualized approach (adapting the ways we reach people meaningfully

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ones are easiest to do and why, and which are the most difficult and why.Follow up discussions on the reasons why critical contextualization is ofparticular importance to the church at this time in history is needed andcrucial as many do not think of the implications and challenges of living ina cross-cultural and religious environment.46

Scripture presents models that can be used as examples to the study andpractice of contextualization or adaptation. In the biblical examples thatfollow, 1) Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; 2) John 1:1, 14; 3) Matthew 26:17-19, 26-28; 4) Luke 16:19-31; 5) Acts 15:1-29; 6) Acts 17:16-31; and 7)Genesis 15:17-18, the questions posed to participants are: what wascontextualized or adapted, how, and with what effect? Another example isin 1 Cor. 9:19-23 where Paul summarizes his approach to people of othercultures and religious beliefs. How does this approach relate tocontextualization?

In Acts 15, Paul worked hard to convince the church to have differentrequirements for Jewish and Gentile Christians in regard to many of theJewish laws (including circumcision). He felt this was necessary because ofthe context from which the Gentiles were coming. Then just a few verseslater (Acts 16:1-3) he insists on circumcising Timothy before taking himwith him on his next missionary journey. Questions that need to be askedare: Why did he do that? What principle is there for us in this story(“case”)? Again, we see Paul’s advice to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 10:23-33)in regard to foods offered to idols in the temple, and in this case, whatprinciple can be learned from his advice as we deal with challengingmission issues?

within their context): witnessing and evangelism methods that work, methods of dealingwith conflict; 3) The contextualized message (adapting our message to the questions andneeds of the people): prioritizing and sequencing of the message, adding as needed–beyond“the 28”, focusing–emphasis, waiting–John 16:12, 13 “I have much more to say to you,more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you intoall truth;” 4) Contextualized worship (adapting the ways we worship): buildings–architecture, music, prayer modes, styles of teaching, ways of showing reverence,types of service; 5) contextualization of the old culture (evaluation of elements from the oldculture—what do we keep? what do we discard? what do we modify?): uncriticalacceptance, uncritical rejection, critical and faithful contextualization.

46 The issue of “non-contextualization” is of importance here. From the end of the 19th

Century to the middle of 20th Century, the Western (Christian) church carried the gospel tothe rest of the world from the perspective that the Western (Christendom) world with itsculture, science, and technology, was superior and better. Thus, Western culture was goodand the cultures of non-westerners were bad. Even things that were clearly not biblical inWestern culture were by default considered good; and things that could be qualified asbiblical in non-western culture were bad, and thus rejected.

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The challenge in cross-cultural contexts is that people will understandthe gospel in the terms of their own language and culture.47 And this is notan option; it is a fact. Therefore, it is the obligation of the missionary toassist new believers to understand the relation of gospel and culture: 1) theyneed to understand the gospel message; 2) they need to find appropriateways to express the gospel in their culture; and 3) they need to learn todiscern what the gospel condemns and affirms in their own culture.

The three common responses to culture include: 1) wholesaleacceptance (uncritical contextualization): uncritical acceptance of localcustoms, often based on a deep respect for culture, with its inherentweaknesses; 2) wholesale rejection (denial of the old): virtually all culturalforms are thought to be linked to traditional religions, often ethnocentric atheart, with inherent weaknesses; and 3) critical contextualization: tocommunicate the gospel in a new context in ways that it is understandableto people there, including the development of church life and ministry thatare biblically faithful and culturally appropriate in that context.48

The process of critical and faithful contextualization49 is of major

47 Petras Bahadur comments as follows; … “whether Allah is the same God like thebiblical God, is another discussion. However, no matter how beautifully I describe my“God” but as long as it is a word that is foreign/white/western & Christian, their ears areclosed and their minds are shut out. But if I say, ‘What does Allah want us to do’? Immediately ears are raised and attention is drawn. I was invited to an Adventist family’sparty where their Muslim relatives also came. Their Muslim family was mainly seated onone side, and the rest of the Adventist crowd was over-powering. I struck conversation withthe Muslim group and introduced myself and talked generally. At that point I was called…,to come and pray before they eat. The Muslim family was immediately turned off, and theycontinued to talk to each other quietly, because they knew this is going to be a Christianprayer and they have no part in that. However, I raised my hands (like a Muslim) and beganto say ‘Bismillah i rahman i Rahim…’ (Arabic Muslim prayer–translated means ‘I begin inthe name of Allah, most gracious, most loving)…’ and immediately this family stood up,raised their hands and began to pay attention. After prayer, they asked to speak to me. Wespoke for two hours that evening, all on a positive note. Later on the Adventist family toldme that that Muslim family wants to meet me again… they also confessed that theirrelationship with the Muslim lady (relative) has become much better whereas before she wasalways arguing about their wrong Christian practices. Now we are looking forward tomeeting the family again. The Muslim lady is a professor at a University in Birmingham.”E-mail message. October 8, 2014.

48 See Scott Moreau, et al. 2004. Introducing World Missions, p. 12.49 Paul Hiebert has used the term “critical contextualization” to mean the intentional,

selective, disciplined, thoughtful incarnation of the normative gospel into particular cultures;Gorden Doss has adjusted to faithful contextualization” and builds on Hiebert, but adds theemphasis that being faithful to the Bible is primary and adaptation to culture is secondary,though essential; and Charles Kraft refers as “appropriate contextualization” where heemphasizes, and perhaps over-emphasizes, the role of culture.

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important in the cross-cultural missionary enterprise. In it, old beliefs andcustoms are first analyzed in terms of meanings, and then evaluated in thelight of biblical principles and norms. The need to deal biblically with allareas of life is recognized, and this will lead the church to avoid adoptingdating, wedding, funeral practices, music, entertainment, economicstructures and political traditions from around itself or other placesindiscriminately.

In order for missionaries to avoid a wholesale acceptance or a wholesalerejection of the culture he/she encounters, four steps in criticalcontextualization are advanced:

First–gathers uncritically all information about the meaning of alltraditions, customs, and the different practices related to the issues at hand(without criticizing people, otherwise they will not open up); this focuseson understanding the old ways, and it involves both the expatriates (cross-cultural workers) and members of the local community; it is a group effortwith people from both sides.

Second–a critical Bible study on the tradition, custom, or practice underscrutiny.

Third–evaluates the custom (or tradition) in light of biblicalunderstandings. In this process the congregation has to be involved; theywill grow in their own abilities to discern truth, as they get involved inbiblical exegesis as well. The missionary helps as a hermeneutical bridge.It needs to be noted that people are in a better position to evaluate criticallytheir own past customs in the biblical light; they know their culture betterthan anyone else. They know the deeper, hidden meanings of old customsand their significance in their cultural context.

Fourth–application and practice of the new ethic. Acceptance andrejection needs to take place. People will have to make a decision: withfreedom (encouragement) to experiment, following evaluation, andadjustments as needed. It is possible that in this process some things will bemaintained, others will be modified, and some will have to be rejected. Asrequired, functional substitutes will need to be developed or borrowed, andperhaps there will be the need for the creation of new forms as the churchunderstands and practices the biblical message and engages in mission aswell.

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As people engage in their new Christian experience as Adventists, thereis always the risk that some form of syncretism50 will happen. As seenabove, the theological principle in faithful and critical contextualization isthat the Bible is the final authority for both belief and practice of churchmembers everywhere.

Critical Contextualization in PracticeFollowing the steps for critical contextualization as outlined above and

putting them into practice is oftentimes very difficult for missionaries, evenexperienced ones. The examples or case studies below are aimed atproviding a picture of this challenging reality. These case studies are notintended to define theology or to set a model for all to follow. They are justillustrations of the difficulties missionaries face as they study the Bible andat the same time, have to deal with contextual local realities as they engagein preaching the gospel cross-culturally.

50 Syncretism is a blending of elements from non-Christian and Christian belief systemsin such a way that they retain their non-Christian meaning and power. It is the blending ofelements from another belief system or from another kind of Christianity in a way thatdistorts or dilutes biblical truth. It is written that: “Even while these people were worshipingthe Lord, they were serving their idols.” 2 Kings 17:41. There are several examples ofdifferent types of syncretism described in the Bible and/or found in the Christian churchtoday. Faithful contextualization can aid in the process of avoiding syncretism. Somereligious practices may have syncretistic elements in them: 1) Using incense in church(Buddhists, Hindus, Orthodox, and Catholics); 2) Raising hands in worship (Pentecostals);3) Prostrating face down in prayer (Muslims); 4) Removing shoes to enter a place of worship(Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims); 5) Clapping hands as a part of worship (Jews); 6)Having meditation as a worship practice (Buddhists, Hindus, and some other Christians); 7)Singing songs that were originally non-Christian, but now have Christian words (i.e. barsongs); and 8) Cremation (Buddhists and Hindus). Syncretism can be avoided by: 1) openly,seriously and critically study the various elements of the culture and determine what needsto be rejected and what can be accepted. This must be incorporated as an integral part of thelife and work of the missionary as he/she works and interacts with the host culture; 2) Lookat the Bible for “Principles” to guide the members in the process of faithful and criticalcontextualization; watch for biblical texts where there were circumstances in which therewas risk of syncretism, but avoided; Let the Holy Spirit guide the process, and submit toHim; 4) Submit the issues to the community of believers (local, regional, and international);5) Work in the context of the local culture / local people. Respect and value the people andtheir culture; 6) Focus on conversion at the worldview level: we tend to only to focus onchanging behaviors, beliefs, and values (more visible products of culture); we need to godeeper and focus at the worldview level, at the level of biblical, eternal principles, if weexpect conversion and transformation. See also the article of Jon Paulien, “Dealing withSyncretism in Insider Movements” (217-251), and “Response to Jon Paulien’s Paper” (252-258), by Angel Manuel Rodriguez; in Faith Development in Context (2005).

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Case Study One:Contextualizing Mission Towards Jews

There are three main points for a successful contextualized ministry toJews advanced by Richard Elofer. They are the following:

Theology—Israel is the firstborn people of God and has not beenrejected. The Jewish people are not one of the non-biblical religions(Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.). It is to the Jewish people that God hasmade the first promises and the everlasting covenant. That is why acontextual approach to the Jewish people should be very respectful of thesefacts. 1) It is to the biological descendant of Abraham that the promise ofblessings has been made (Gen 12:2; 18:18; 22:17); 2) The blessings andlove of God are forever; for a thousand generations (Ex 20:6; 34:7; Deut7:9; 1 Chr 16:15; Psa 105:8); and 3) God promised to Israel that thecovenant will never be removed and they will stand as a people before himas long as the earth will exist (Is 54:7-10; Jer 31:35-37). Thus in thiscontextualized mission approach to Jews, the fact that Israel is still loved byGod and there is no “replacement theology” in the Bible as some haveadvanced, should be recognized. Identity—The Jewish people have their own identity, which includesworship, lifestyle, traditions, history, culture, education, and much more.Thus the reason why a Jewish Adventist contextualize ministry shouldrespect Jewish identity in all aspect of life. Jewish-Adventists accept thebiblical aspects of Jewish worship: Hebrew language, kippa, talith, 7branches candelabra, lighting candles before Sabbath, traditional readingsof the Hebrew Bible (Parasha, Haftara), and included in their style ofworship in Jewish-Adventistcongregations. The Jewish identity is not in opposition to the Bible, and thiswill help them to be comfortable among Seventh-day Adventists. Mission—Mission to the Jews should be done through the developmentof genuine friendships. That is why Adventists have to be acquainted withthe Jewish community in order to befriend them and then be able to sharethe Adventist message.51

Another interesting example is what Reinaldo Siqueira is doing in theterritory of the SAD, for the past 15 years promoting an excellent contextualmission approach related to Jewish work. There, the Adventist-JewishFriendship center, is implementing what is being called a “new way” ofwitnessing to Jews and it involves an in-depth contextualization process.

51 Adapted from Richard Elofer; World Jewish-Adventist Friendship Center director.E-mail message. October 03, 2014.

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The focus of this missional endeavor is not directly on the Jewishcommunity as such, but on the assimilated Jews, and these are those whobecome part of the larger society through inter-religious marriages. Theapproach works with a majority of Jews who are indifferent to their Jewishheritage (and assimilated into mixed marriages) and helps them to recovertheir Jewish identity through the Adventist message. This is an openapproach that aims at promoting a positive impact on the Jewish communityand family as well. It creates respect and trust and Jewish families see their“children” returning to Jewish values and practices that were forgotten andabandoned. The assimilated Jews who in turn accept the Adventist messagebecome witnesses to their relatives and their Jewish communities.52

Inviting Jews to celebrate their special Jewish feasts or holidays in anAdventist-Jewish Friendship center or at a center of influence is anopportunity to get acquainted with a good number of them, and then invitethem to a special Kabbalat Shabbat (Sabbath welcoming). There,appropriate language and content of worship is done in a way and sequencethat resembles their own Jewish worship style, but at the same time isAdventist and biblical in essence. Usually those who accept invitations havehad some previous contact with Christianity and Adventist believers and arealso living disconnected from the Jewish community. These are mostlythose who have married non-Jewish spouses.

In Brazil, for example, the assimilated Jews (from inter-religiousmarriages) are about 70% of the Jewish people, whereas the traditionalJewish community is comprised of only about 30% of the local Jews in agiven community. Assimilated Jews are usually more open to the Adventistmessage, and it is easier to integrate them into a small group, usually as partof a family house Bible study. From there they become part of theAdventist-Jewish Friendship center, where an Adventist Jewish style ofworship is followed in order to contextualize the communication of themessage and worship services to them.

Usually Friday evening is the most effective occasion for witnessing,as the Center contextualizes the welcoming of the Sabbath (KabbalatShabbat), and there both worship and evangelism takes place. Theassimilated Jews—now Adventist believers, are the link to their relatives,other assimilated Jews, as well as to the traditional Jewish community, and

52 See, Reinaldo Siqueira. “Jewish and Adventist Issues.” In Comfort, Comfort myPeople: Towards a Growing Adventist-Jewish friendship. Richard Elofer, ed. BerrienSprings, MI: Department of World Mission, Andrews University (2009): 38-40.

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become witnesses of this new and important identity and message. 53 Thisapproach serves as a bridge that connects assimilated Jews and Adventists,and becomes the basis of a biblical identity for both communities.

Case Study Two: The Indian Bride

In the figures below we have a picture painted by Vinita54 of an Indianbride. The missionary, local members, and new Adventist believers need todecide what is appropriate for a bride to wear in her wedding day as aSeventh-day Adventist and taking into consideration their Indian traditionsand culture. The significance, value, and meaning of marriage are taken intocontext as well.

An Indian Bride:With no descriptions of items

and symbols

53 Personal communication with Reinaldo Siqueira. October 10, 2014.54 Vinita, a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, painted this picture in a session of the

Mission Institute to illustrate an Adventist Indian bride in her wedding dress and ornaments.Institute of World Mission Resources, (n.d.).

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An Indian Bride:With descriptions of items and symbols

Following the first step of critical contextualization, those involved inthe process need to look at the picture of the Indian bride and uncriticallyreview it making a list of the various elements and symbols present there,and then ask questions about their meaning accordingly as it relates to themeaning of marriage in their culture. The second step involves studying theBible to know what it teaches in regard to this particular subject, symbol,element, event, item, etc. Since this issue deals with brides—dress,marriage, and adornment, etc.—the following biblical texts could help inunderstanding what the Bible has to say in this regard (Ps 45:13, 14; Songsof Solomon 1:9-10, 4:9; Is 49:18, 61:10; Jer 2:32; Eze 16:8-12; Rev 19:7,8; 21:2, 21).

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The third step in critical contextualization evaluates the elements andsymbols discussed in step one with the biblical teachings discovered in steptwo. If needed, the group could gather additional information or furtherBible study before making a final decision. It is possible that some things(forms, elements) will have to be rejected (decide which ones),55 somewould have to be modified, others be substituted, and some will need to bechanged.

Case Study Three: Developing an Adventist Funeral Service for Cambodia56

In the late 1960s a struggling Seventh-day Adventist Church was startedin Cambodia. In 1975 when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took over thecountry, forcing Adventist missionaries to flee, there were fewer than 40members—all in Phnom Penh. During the war that followed, most of theAdventists were killed, with a few escaping to the United States. In1992/1993 hundreds of thousands of Cambodian refugees who had spentyears in refugee camps in Thailand were repatriated back home after theKhmer Rouge was defeated and some sort of normalcy returned toCambodia. Among those returning home were several hundred Seventh-dayAdventist Cambodians who had become followers of Jesus Christ andSeventh-day Adventist members in the camps.

Bruce Bauer and his wife, Linda, moved to Cambodia in 1997 to giveleadership to the Cambodia Adventist Mission (CAM). At a workers’meeting late in 1997 the pastors mentioned that one of the challenges theywere facing was what to do for funerals. Many times when members diedthey just went along with the traditional funerals that followed Buddhistpractices. Therefore, it was agreed that at the next workers’ meeting theywould develop guidelines for an Adventist Cambodian funeral.

As part of this process, during the workers’ meeting (in 1998), a fullday was set aside to deal with the issue of funerals. Bruce explained theapproach that Paul Hiebert had developed, called critical contextualizationthat involves a four-step process. The first step is most important—thoseworking on a cultural issue must make the Word of God the basis fordeciding lifestyle or cultural issues. Since CAM was working with a groupof 17 pastors, they were in complete agreement with this basis.

55 The black eyeliner, which represents protection from evil spirits, will have to beremoved, and if possible replaced with an appropriate and biblical symbol.

56 Adapted from Bruce Bauer, “Developing an Adventist Funeral Service forCambodia.” E-mail message. October 03, 2014.

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Second, the group spent the rest of the morning looking at the culturalissue uncritically to understand the importance and significance of the issue.Bruce divided the pastors into groups of four or five and asked each groupto list all the activities that happen in a typical village from the time aperson dies until the last ceremony.57 Just before lunch they compiled amaster list with all that was involved in a typical Buddhist funeral ceremonyand the deep cultural meanings of the various events and practices.

Third, in the afternoon, Bruce asked the group to list any activities thatthey felt went against biblical principles. The group listed biblical passagesthat suggested biblical themes or principles that should be used to decidewhat aspects of the Cambodian funerals could no longer be followed, whichones could be altered, and which ones needed to be discarded because theywent against Bible teaching. This part of the process was spent praying,reading relevant biblical passages, and discussing the deep culturalmeanings.

The fourth step in the process was to allow the local Cambodian pastorsto decide what could remain, what could be altered, and what had to bediscarded from the traditional practices. The group prayed, asked for theguidance of the Holy Spirit, and then decided how to deal with the issue.

Some of the things that were discarded included having Buddhistmonks chant—an activity that was replaced by having an Adventist pastorpresent a message from the Bible about death and hope in Jesus. The typicalCambodian funeral music that was blared out over speakers to alert thecommunity of a death was replaced by Christian hymns that spoke of hopein the resurrection. Many of the other practices were left without muchchange, so that community members would not call the funeral activitiesforeign, but would at the same time realize that it was Cambodian with anAdventist Christian emphasis.

In the end, the group of pastors was very happy that they had come upwith an Adventist funeral ceremony that still had a Cambodian flavor.Another benefit from following this process was that the foreign missionarydid not impose a ceremony on the Cambodians, so it was the local pastorswho took ownership of promoting a Christian and biblical approach tofunerals.

57 Bauer. Ibid. In Cambodia and in many Buddhist countries there are ceremonies thattake place after one year, after three years, and after seven or eight years.

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Reflections: A Way Forward58

An Adventist missionary in Asia felt the need to contextualize, and inthe process it took time for him to really understand and address the mainissues. After interacting with a number of Adventists who were formerHindus he realized that their worldviews had not changed in the slightest,even though several of them had been SDA’s for a decade or more. Theprimary reason for this was that the gospel had been presented to them inways that they struggled to understand and/or to apply in their daily lives. The gospel had been presented to them through Western logic, methods,and often even using Western examples of application. As a result he spentconsiderable time studying the Bible in conjunction with learning thelanguage and culture, and thus found many areas where their daily lives andbiblical guidance coincided, including most of our 28 Fundamental Beliefs,although not as we had normally understood them.59 Therefore theologicalreflection combined with everyday living in a cultural context created thenecessary atmosphere for appropriate presentations of the gospel that couldbe easily understood and applied in very practical ways in people’s dailylife.60

It seems that some of us faculty teaching at SDA theological seminarieshave done the church a tremendous service by carefully trying to dismantlethe Greek presuppositions or philosophical assumptions that have plaguedthe Christian church for centuries. We’ve recognized that this has often ledto bad theology and a distortion of Scriptures on key issues like thedoctrines of God, Creation, and the Bible. We can strongly agree with eachother as faculty that the Bible and the Bible alone is our source for goodtheology and that good contextualization is impossible without a reallystrong biblical foundation and serious bible study, research, and reflection.And in this area Adventist missiology can definitely improve.

Where we are weaker is in our own attempts to develop a system, byourselves and alone, in our SDA theological seminaries. And it seems thatat times, we are attempting to build a theological system believing we canactually develop theology in a vacuum (disconnected from the missionfield). A question should be asked in this regard: in our missio-theological

58 Adapted from personal correspondence with a missionary colleague, that shares inthese reflections. E-mail message. October 7, 2014.

59 The few times application was stressed, most of the time beliefs were stressed andvery little time was spent on demonstrating how this could be lived out.

60 This missionary is currently writing a paper on the Sabbath in an Asian countrycontext in which he is trying to demonstrate this process, and he hopes theologians will bewilling to review it once he completes it.

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discussions, do we also think that before a theologian or a missionary‘leaves the house’ he/she needs to have all his theology correct, only thenis it safe for him/her to enter the ‘outside world’? If this is the case, and itseems that sometimes it is, then this goes against the witness of Scripturein which theology and mission have to be in constant interaction for eitherto be true to God and to bear fruit for his church. Paul’s life, work, andwritings demonstrate this beautifully, and so do the writings and mission ofMoses, David, Peter, James, and John, to name a few. One discipline doesnot lead the other, but both must always be done together. It is only in reallife contexts (mission) that good theology can be developed. Only whengood theology and mission, born out of the revealed Word, reach people intheir real life contexts are they transformed and saved for God’s glory.

ConclusionSince the Adventist movement, which has been raised by God with the

special purpose of bringing people back to the truths of his Word, and toproclaim the everlasting gospel as it is found in the Three Angels’Messages, it follows that understanding and communicating the singularityand uniqueness of the Adventist message is of utmost importance. Not onlyare there things that are unique about Christianity, and that differentiates itfrom other major world religions, there are also important things that arevery unique about Adventism. The uniqueness and singularity of Adventismsets it apart from all other Christian denominations and non-Christianreligions. The critical and faithful contextualization approach to cross-cultural mission presented above takes the singularity and uniqueness of theAdventist message and movement seriously.

More cooperation between theologians and missiologists, churchleaders and pioneers, is needed, so that the uniqueness of the Adventistmessage61 will continue and effectively be communicated. The result willbe that more people will hear and understand the gospel in their own cultureand geography. Missiologists and theologians must work together to

61 Petras Bahadur adds the following: “One area of contextualization has to do withpreparing our members to contextualize. The unique Adventist identity needs to beemphasized if we are to take the message to other non-Christian religions. My firstpresentation for an AMR training or a weekend program is entitled – Our Adventist Identity:The Key to Muslim Evangelism. Since all religions did not follow God’s given instructionsin his Word or even to them in moral value system, then we have a message based on Rev.14:6-7 for every nation, tribe, tongue and people… Then we have an eternal message tobring to every religion including the religion of Christianity.” E-mail message. October 8,2014.

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produce a more robust theology of mission, which in turn will provide thefoundation for effective methodologies for mission and ministry. Thiscooperation will also foster the development of a missionary theology,suitable for theologians, church workers, missiologists, and pioneers. Thusour Adventist mission will be biblically and theologically sound and ourAdventist theology will be biblically and contextually appropriate.

Wagner Kuhn is Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies, Chair of theDepartment of World Mission, and Director of the Post-Doctoral Program at theSeventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University. He holds anMA in Religion (Mission) from Andrews University and a PhD in Missiology fromFuller Theological Seminary. From his studies the book Christian Relief andDevelopment was published in English by UNASPRESS (2005), and in Portugueseby CePLiB (2008). He has written and presented many scholarly and seminalarticles that have been published in various journals and books. In 2012 Kuhn wrotetwo articles and edited the volume, The Book and the Student: TheologicalEducation as Mission, he also wrote Redemption and Transformation ThroughRelief and Development (2013), and co-edited (with Bruce Bauer) BiblicalPrinciples for Missiological Issues in Africa (2015), published by the Departmentof World Mission, Andrews University. In 2016 Transformação Radical: Em BuscaDo Evangelho Integral was published in Portuguese by UNASPRESS (SP, Brazil)[email protected]

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